On February 5 around 9 a.m., 13 train cars derailed in Mansfield, CT and multiple overturned into the Willimantic River. Six of the cars contained Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is a highly flammable and explosive fossil fuel. In the wake of this near-disaster, it is important to reflect on the hazards of fossil fuels and what we can do to fight for a safer, more sustainable energy future.

 

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Photo Source: Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

 

The Mansfield train derailment verged on a public safety and environmental catastrophe for nearly two weeks as over 100 emergency responders worked through intense winter conditions to safely remove the cars from the river, turn them upright, trans-load the sensitive gas to new containers, and flare off any excess gas. Immediately following the derailment, the CT Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection declared a Shelter in Place order for residents within a half-mile of the site. The State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection placed booms, floating pollution barriers, in the river to prevent the spread of potential leaks. Route 32’s closure and a town-wide Emergency Declaration remained until the morning of February 17 when clean-up crews completed the trans-loading. 

 

Although no leaks were reported, Mansfield Town Manager, Ryan Aylesworth, told NBC CT, “It could have been calamitous.” Instead, he classified it as a “really large sort of inconvenience and logistical challenge.”

 

The train derailment and the health risks it posed to community members are more than just an “inconvenience” or “logistical challenge.” They are an urgent reminder that our reliance on fossil fuels is precarious and dangerous. Through the transport and use of fossil fuels, we face the overt risks of fires and explosions, and the invisible impacts of poor air quality and climate change--not to mention increasingly expensive energy bills. While LPG and methane (“natural” gas) are often marketed as cleaner fuels that will help with the transition to green energy, they still pollute and harm our communities.

 

Three interstate methane pipelines criss-cross Connecticut, including through Mansfield. The pipelines  transport methane to the state’s five compressor stations and 54 power plants and generating stations, among other end-uses. They present continuous explosive hazards. Leaks are common, contributing to Connecticut’s poor air quality—the worst in New England. Methane impacts global warming potential 80 times more than carbon dioxide for its first 20 years in the atmosphere.

 

The No Pipeline Expansion (NOPE) Coalition collaborates with 100+ organizations and advocates across Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island to stop planned pipeline expansion projects. We can meet our needs with clean and renewable energy, and transition from gas and other fossil fuels. All these pipeline projects will serve to do is to put more money in the pockets of fossil fuel companies and expand the significant safety and environmental risks faced by our communities. 

 

To learn more about NOPE’s efforts and how you can get involved, please visit nopenortheast.org. 

 

Meryl Braconnier is a Master's Student at Yale School of the Environment and volunteer with the No Pipeline Expansion Northeast Coalition.